The One That Got Away
by EzriaFreak
Summary: After coming clean to her parents about her relationship with her former teacher, Aria was sent to boarding school. Heartbroken, Ezra wrote a best-seller novel about their love. When he was visiting schools to talk about his book, he stumbled upon Aria's new boarding school.
1. Chapter 1

Ezra Fitz knocked on the Montgomery door. He knew he shouldn't have come, but he was desperate for answers. Well, for one answer to be exact. He wanted to know where his girlfriend, Aria Montgomery, was. She hadn't called him for two days.

At first, no one answered the door. So, Ezra knocked again. He remembered the last time he walked through the Montgomery doors. It had not ended well. Just two days before, he and Aria had decided to come clean about their secret relationship. But, Byron and Byron did not take it well. Mike punched him, and Byron threatened to call the police.

Suddenly, the door in front of him swung open.

"Oh," Byron sighed. "It's you."

Ezra scratched the back of his head like he always did when he was nervous.

"I, uh, wanted to know where Aria was," Ezra answered, refusing to look into Byron's eyes.

"She's gone," Byron responded.

"Gone?"

"Yes, she left yesterday. We got her into boarding school-a girls' only school-and she left yesterday," Byron explained like it was no big deal.

"What?" Ezra shrieked. He couldn't believe his ears. The love of his life was gone. "When will she be back?"

"When you're gone," Byron sharply snapped back. "Now if you don't mind, I would appreciate it if you would leave."

Ezra nodded, and then turned around. He slowly made his way to his car, and quickly drove away. Ezra felt horrible. He thought that it was his entire fault. If he hadn't suggested that they came clean to her parents, Aria would still be with him.

Crying, Ezra parked at his usual spot in the driveway to his apartment. By the time he entered his apartment, Ezra had already cried a river. Without anything better to do, Ezra sat down and wrote a story about his love with Aria.

By the end of the night, Ezra had completed a full novel. He wrote about everything he had experienced with Aria: from the time they met, to the first day of school, to their many breakups, to her leaving. Because he had nothing better to do, Ezra sent the book to a publishing company. Little did he know it would soon become a best-seller.


	2. Chapter 2

Aria hated her new school. It wasn't the school that she hated, but it was the fact that she had no communication with the outside world which killed her. Aria wasn't allowed a phone or access to internet. Her school isolated her from the rest of the world.

The people in her school weren't the nicest either. Yes, there were a few people with golden hearts, but most were just like Alison: rich and obnoxious. Since Aria couldn't receive news from the outside world, she shut down. Aria barely ever spoke, but kept her grades high enough to be satisfactory.

The longer she stayed at her new school, the more she missed Rosewood. Yes, Rosewood was filled with secrets, but it was a better place than St. Grace Boarding School for Girls. Aria missed Ezra, her brother, but mostly the girls. They had the closest relationship with Aria, as they had gone through a very similar dramatic year. Aria had found one friend at her school (her name was Lizzy), but she felt almost no connection with her.

After what seemed like an eternity, Aria only had one more quarter of school left. She was so excited, as her parents promised to take her home for the summer. Aria tried to count the days left of school, but it was impossible, as each day felt like a year. But on one warm Friday afternoon, her life changed.


	3. Chapter 3

The sun arose at 6:30 am, like it always did. Inside the dorm rooms, girls of all ages began to awake. Aria was one of the first to rise as she was having a great dream: one of her and Ezra. She automatically brushed her teeth, ate breakfast, changed, and brushed her teeth again. Then, Aria proceeded with Lizzy to her first block, English.

The first half of class Aria doodled in her notebook and daydreamed. However, in the back of her head she could hear her teacher, Ms. Lotze, talk about some visiting author. Because she loved authors (and wanted to become one herself), Aria began to listen to her teacher.

"So, our visiting author in fact is quite young. He has written a few poems, keeps an online journal, and wrote a best-selling book. He was actually a teacher for a bit less than a year," Ms. Lotze explained in the front of the class. "Quite frankly, I am surprised he decided to come to this school for such a cheap price."

The class started rambling on about how they hoped the author would be hot. They all thought that they could have a chance getting his attention.

"What's his best-seller called?" Lizzy asked from the seat next to Aria.

"Can we read some of his poems?" Someone else asked.

"We will definitely read lots of his writing," Ms. Lotze answered. "In fact, we will even do a assignment on one of his poems."

Everybody groaned.

"And, Lizzy, thanks for reminding me," Aria's teacher stated as she grabbed a pile of books from the top of her desk, "we are going to read his most famous book. It's called, The One That Got Away. The book is actually quite new. I think you'll all like it."

With that, Ms. Lotze began to pass around copies of a book. As soon as Aria received her copy, she couldn't believe her eyes. There, on the cover, was a picture of her. A picture of her and Ezra. A picture of her and Ezra with their faces hidden in paper bags. It was their first picture.

Then, Aria's eyes began to wander the rest of the cover of the book. And of course, Aria thought she was daydreaming. There, at the bottom of the cover were the two words she loved the most. The two words that she spent days dreaming about. They were the two words that meant the world to her. There, on the cover of the book, lay the words Ezra Fitz.


	4. Chapter 4

Aria gasped a bit too loudly. The whole class turned their heads to stare right through her soul. She stayed frozen, unable to move. There, in front of her, was a book with her on the cover and Ezra listed as the author.

"Ezra," she whispered.

Ms. Lotze cleared her throat. "Actually, Aria, its Mr. Fitz."

Aria sat with her mouth open and slightly nodded.

"When will he come?" She managed to ask.

Ms. Lotze twirled a finger in her hair. "Two weeks' time. I was hoping it could be next week, but he said he couldn't find and flights."

"Is he hot?" Lizzy interrupted.

The young English teacher nodded and smiled. "Very," she cooed. "In fact, it is his picture on the cover of the book. Well, it's him and some girl."

"How long will he stay?" Aria interrupted. She had enough. It was awkward seeing her friend and teacher talk about her boyfriend, or who she thought was her boyfriend, anyways.

"Just three days," the teacher answered. "But who knows. If I get him into me, he may stay longer," she smirked.

"What's the book about?" Somebody else asked.

"Oh. It's about a student-teacher relationship. I think it's based on a true story, I'm not really sure. The book is actually amazing, but it has a sad ending."

Aria's heart melted. He had done. Ezra had written a book about her. He had got it published. He had put her on the cover. Ezra was coming to see her. Aria would see the love of her life in just two weeks! But given the circumstances, two weeks felt like years.


	5. Chapter 5

That night, Aria and Lizzy hung out in their dorm. At her new school, Aria was never a talker. However, Lizzy noticed that that night, she was talking even less than usual.

"What's up?" Lizzy asked, showing concern. "You look sick today." She sat on her bed.

Aria shrugged from her bed, which was facing Lizzy's.

"No, seriously, Aria, what happened? Ever since English class you look different. Quieter, but not sadder. You look like your heart is overwhelmed with emotions that you are unable to speak," Lizzy explained. Even though Lizzy was nothing like Spencer, she did have her brains.

At first, Aria remained silent. "Ya, it's nothing," she whispered. "I'm just caught up on," she thought for a second. "Life. Ya, I'm just caught up on life."

"Oh, please, Aria," Lizzy sighed as she rolled her eyes, "I can tell a liar when I see one."

Aria smirked. That wasn't true. If it was, she would have never befriended Aria. She was made up of a pile of lies. In fact, Aria had never actually admitted to Lizzy that Alison DiLaurentis was actually her best friend. Lizzy knew that she was murdered, but not that Aria had had such a close bond with Aria.

Lizzy thought for a moment. "Wait," her face lightened up and she revealed a smile of white teeth. "Is this about that visiting author?"

"What? No!" Aria shouted, hoping to sound honest.

Lizzy rolled her eyes, still smiling. "It is!"

"So?" Aria asked, making up an excuse. "So what if I'm excited. I love writing and want to become an author, so I'm just excited to meet someone successful."

Lizzy smirked. "What did I tell you Aria? I can tell a lie when I hear one. You know this guy, don't you? That's why you called him Ezra, not Mr. Fitz?"

Aria shook her head, but her cheeks churned bright pink. Lizzy, obviously, jumped from her bed and raced onto Arias'. She sat next to her and nudged her shoulder.

"Spill," she cried. "Spill everything. I must know."

"There's nothing to know," Aria innocently lied. "He was a family friend. That's it."

"Oh come on, Aria, I can keep a secret. So please tell me," Lizzy begged. "I mean, after all, secrets are what keep up close." This part of Lizzy reminded Aria of Alison.

Aria sighed and turned to her friend. "Do you really want to know?"

Lizzy shook her head lots of times.

"Alright then. Here it goes." Aria took a deep breath. "Ezra worked with my dad. He came over once, and my friend kept on hitting on him. He noticed, and my friend told him that I had a crush on him. And he believed her. So, he thought that I was some crazy girl. And he never came to my house again," Aria mumbled in her most convincing voice. She really didn't want to explain her whole relationship with Ezra.

Lizzy thought for a moment then nodded. "Alright then," she giggled as she leaped back onto her own bed. "I'll see you in the morning."

Even though Aria had gotten out of that conversation, Lizzy was not done with her. Soon, Lizzy would place the final piece into the puzzle. She would discover every detail of Ezra and Aria's relationship. But until then, Aria would have to wait.


	6. Chapter 6

The next day, English class was just as awkward as it had been the day before. Or possibly, it was even more awkward. It started with Ms. Lotze praising Ezra Fitz.

"His story is so emotional. It's so deep and pure. I can almost image being inside the pages," Ms. Lotze raved. "Anyways, we are going to start today by reading the first few pages. I want you all to finish the book by next week. It's not too long, as their romance only lasted half a year."

Everybody pulled out their copy of the book The One That Got Away, and opened to the first page.

"Aria, would you like to start reading for us?" The teacher asked.

Aria shrugged. She didn't want to read out loud, as she knew she would burst into tears in seconds, but she didn't have any excuses not to read. "I guess," she whispered, then began to read aloud:

"_I've heard of miracles. I've heard of fairy tales. I've heard of paradise. But, I never lived in one until I met her. Emma, with her hair of pure silk, changed my life forever. Yet, I would have never met her - not in a way that I could her - unless I had gone to that bar._

_ "Like every story, my story has a beginning. Maybe it's not as lovely as a fairytale, or as pure as the start of my favorite book, but yes, my story has to begin somewhere. I sometimes wonder what would have happened if I had left the bar right she came in. What if I had never spoken to her? Then, to me, Emma would just be my student. The pretty girl who sat on the third row and two seats from the window. Yet, now, because of the choices and the path that we have made, she is much more than that to me. _

_"She isn't my student anymore. Say, I don't even know where she is. I was fired from my job, and she was shipped away as soon as we told her parents. But I don't regret anything. Not one moment that we spent together. Her touch was as soft as an angles', her lips as pure as a rose. If I ever had a regret, it would be letting her parents send her away. I never got to say goodbye. We both ended up heartbroken, crumbled, and alone. My fairytale stopped and crumbled out of the blue._

By now, Aria had stopped reading. It was a miracle that she had only been assigned to read the epilogue. She would have burst into tears if she had to read a whole chapter out loud. Yet, Aria still felt a tear roll down her cheek.


	7. Chapter 7

"What was that about?" Lizzy asked Aria that night, right before Aria went to bed.

"What?" Aria asked, confused.

"Today in English, you were crying…" Lizzy nodded, trying to recover her friends memory. "What was that about?"

"Oh, nothing. It, it was nothing," Aria exclaimed. "My eyes have just been watery."

Lizzy giggled. "Oh please, you were crying because of the story. You've never cried because of a story. What is so special about this book?"

"Nothing, I guess," Aria gushed. "I guess I just connected with the book. I mean, like I told you, Ezra was a family friend."

"Lizzy shook her head. "No he wasn't."

"What?" Aria asked, shocked from her response.

"Mr. Fitz was not a friend of your families. I mean, in the book, he describes a family like yours. And it doesn't seem like he liked your family," Lizzy explained.

"I don't think he was talking about my folks," Aria sighed. "He was probably talking about another messed up family. Rosewood has a lot of those."

"Aria, Mr. Fitz was your teacher, wasn't he?" Lizzy asked.

Aria took a deep breath. "Ya, he was. But then he left."

"Why?"

Aria shrugged. She wasn't ready to tell the truth.

"Are you nervous for when he comes?"

"No, not really. He probably doesn't even remember who I am," Aria lied.

"Then why were you crying when you read the book?"

"Because," Aria admitted. She was ready to tell part of the truth. "I had a huge crush on him. I mean, Ezra is so hot. And when he left my school, he became a family friend. And I guess I grew a bit closer to him, but he never noticed me. So my heart died. I never knew he was dating somebody else. And in the book, he tells about a romance with a girl. I guess I was just sad when I read the book. I feel stupid."

Lizzy's face fell and she rushed over to comfort Aria. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Aria." She hugged her petit friend. "I shouldn't have asked."

"Whatever," Aria shrugged as her face lifted. "I'm over him now."

Once again, Aria had gotten away with a lie. She was fortunate that Lizzy was not so persistent. She didn't know how she would eventually tell Lizzy the truth. Even though Aria knew the truth would come out eventually, she was scared of how Lizzy would react. After a lie this big, Aria was scared Lizzy would never trust her again.


	8. Chapter 8

By the following day, Aria Montgomery had already read her copy of The One That Got Away twice. Of course, for her the book was not so difficult to read as she had been there. Aria was shocked that Ezra had remembered almost every single thing she had said to him. It was truly amazing that he could remember all of their conversations perfectly.

The real reason Aria loved the book was that she could read it from Ezra's point of view. Of course, she knew how she felt throughout their relationship, but she had never gotten to know how Ezra felt about their relationship. Of course, they were similar to her thoughts.

They both loved each other a lot, and they both believed that their relationship was meant to be forever. If it wasn't for her parents, Aria would have still been with the love of her life. At that moment, she knew that she loved Ezra more than anything in the world. She wanted to marry him, and was not afraid to fight for him.

In English class, Ms. Lotze talked on and on about how wonderful the book was. She was basically in love with Ezra Fitz, even though she had never met him. If only she knew that Aria was the love of Ezra's life.

After about half an hour of Ms. Lotze rambling on about the man she never met, she decided to discuss the days' assignment.

"Class," she called out as she sat on her desk, next to a stack of essays'. "I want you all to read one of Mr. Fitz's poems. This one is called B-26. It's his first poem, and one my favorites."

The teacher got up from her desk and passed a piece of paper to everyone in her class. On the piece of paper was the poem B-26.

"Your assignment is to understand what the poem means. There are many different interpretations. I am open for all answers. When Mr. Fitz comes, I will ask him what the poem really means, and the person who was closest to the right answer will get an award," she explained. "You'll be awarded with a week without homework. You have five minutes to come up with an answer. Write it down, and then give it to me."

Aria froze. She looked down at the paper in front of her. Yes, it was what she most feared, the poem Ezra had written to her. It was the poem A had sent Aria. The poem that had made Aria understand that Ezra really loved her. It was a poem, the poem, which saved her relationship.

Slowly, she looked down and began to read the poem which she knew by heart. As she read, she remembered the first time she read the poem. She had shed many tears.

_It's a number,_

_It's a song,_

_It's a girl._

_Smooth._

_Pearl joy packed._

_Gold falafel,_

_As through ice._

_It's four thirty._

_Morning with_

_Phone calls._

_It's deaf mute._

_It's cheap._

_A foreign car._

_Maybe bingo._

_Lucky night?_

_Something says_

_It smells bad._

By the time she finished the reading the poem, a tear was running down her cheek. She wiped it away, but refused to get out of her seat. She didn't want to create attention to herself. The last thing she wanted was for Lizzy to ask her why she was crying. Even though Aria lied every day, it wasn't easy. Sometimes she wanted to tell the truth.

With two minutes left with her assignment, Aria wrote down the meaning of the poem. Of course, Aria knew exactly what the poem meant, and she was dying to not have to do homework. By the time the five minutes was over, Aria was just finishing writing down the meaning. She signed the paper with her name and handed it to her teacher. She walked back to her desk and began to read Ezra's book for the third time.

"Lizzy?" Ms. Lotze asked when everyone had turned in their work. "Do you want to share your thoughts on this poem?"

Lizzy looked unsure of herself.

"Honestly, I have no idea what it meant. To me, it was just a jumble of words. Maybe it was about Emma from the book," responded Lizzy.

The teacher nodded her head. "How about you, Amanda. Any thought?"

The quite girl from the back of the class quietly answered, "I thought it was about the love of two people. Like maybe they did a lot of stuff together, and this was a reflection of everything they did together."

"That's what I thought, too," Amy, the smart girl, answered. "For example, they probably played bingo a lot together. That's why the poem mentions bingo."

Aria smiled. Nobody understood the poem. To them, it was a jumble of words. "Actually, I got a different answer," she called out.

"What's that?" Amy snarled.

"Uh," Aria cleared her throat. "It's a number goes with the title. You know, B-26. When the people in this poem first met, there was probably a jukebox in the room, playing number B-26. Then that would go with the part, it's a song. It refers to the song that was playing. And it's a girl goes with the girl that the body is talking about."

"Smooth probably refers to the way the boy thinks her skin feels. I mean, girls moisturize a lot. And pearl joy packed is a description of her smile. Gold falafel is the first thing he cooked her when she went to his house, and as through ice is how he feels when she ignores him. He probably feels as if he could die of frostbite," Aria continued.

"This poem is probably about the girl Emma, from the book. So, four thirty is the time that she goes to his house after school. And morning with phone calls is when he says that she called him every day when he went to New York. But he ignored her calls, meaning deaf mute."

"It's cheap will represent their relationship. A student-teacher relationship is bad, or cheap. A foreign car is probably the car the boy has. Like a Toyota Camry or something. Maybe bingo, lucky night represents their relationship since they have a relationship of chance and luck. Something says it smells bad represents their relationship, too," Aria finished.

The class didn't understand how Aria had come up with such a conclusion to such an open poem, but they respected her for coming up with an answer so specific. Nobody talked for a second. Ms. Lotze was the one to break the silence.

"Thanks for sharing, girls," she called out. "But class is over. Good luck to all of you. A week without homework is up for sale!"

And with that, the girls left the classroom to their room. However, Aria knew that Lizzy would be waiting for Aria in their dorm, so she hung around the dorm lobby until she was sure Lizzy was asleep. By doing this, she was able to avoid her questions about her interpretation of B-26. Hopefully, Lizzy would forget that class, and would discuss something else with Aria the next day.

But, Lizzy didn't forget. In fact, the next day was defiantly one of the worst days of Aria's life.


	9. Chapter 9

After the lesson discussing B-26, Ms. Lotze dropped the Ezra talk. She never more chattered about him. Aria missed the class discussions about Ezra. Even though she would never admit it, Aria even missed Ms. Lotze constant hits on her boyfriend. Yet, for the next seven days, Aria's English class studied Hemmingway.

Finally, it was only one two more days until Ezra would arrive.

"Ms. Lotze," Aria questioned as she raised her hand. "I know this may be off topic, but isn't Mr. Fitz going to come in just a few days?"

The teachers' eyes began to sparkle at the mention of Ezra's name. "Oh yes," she laughed. "He'll be here in two days. On the first day, he will only speak to the staff. And he will talk during our assembly. And for the next two days, Mr. Fitz will visit each class individually. He will come to our class first on the second day."

"What are we going to do when he comes?" Lizzy asked.

Ms. Lotze shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe write a few stories, ask a few questions. Oh, and we will ask him about the poem B-26."

Everybody started to ask more questions. Honestly, nobody, but Aria, was excited for the visiting author. However, they felt as if anything was more entertaining than studying Hemmingway. So, the English class swarmed their teacher with questions.

"Is he married?" One girl asked.

"Does he have children?" Another voice questioned.

"How old is he?"

"Where does he live?"

"Is he into travelling?"

Aria knew all of the answers to every question asked. However, her teacher didn't.

"Actually, class, I'm not so sure of these facts myself," she admitted. "But, Ezra does have a webpage. It's called . We can spend the rest of class on the website. Oh, and the website does have a question-answer section. Before you leave, you must ask a question."

Everyone moaned, but took out their computers. Aria quickly typed the website name into the search bar and entered the site. There was a ton of information about Ezra on the site. Aria knew all of it, so she didn't bother to read any of it. However, at the bottom there was a link to pictures of Ezra. She clicked the link.

"Oh. My. God," Aria whispered under her breath. There on the website, was a picture of her. But it wasn't like the picture on the cover of the book. This is was a picture where you could clearly see both Aria's and Ezra's face. In fact, this was the picture of Ezra which she placed on the nightstand next to her bed.

Aria sat frightened. She quickly closed the website down and took a deep breath, hoping that nobody would find the picture of her. If somebody did, she would be in trouble, but especially with Lizzy. She had lied way too much to her only friend. In fact, Aria decided to tell Lizzy the truth of her relationship that very night.

Ms. Lotze walked around the room and found Aria with her computer closed.

"Is there something wrong, Ms. Montgomery?" she asked.

"No," Aria responded, scared.

"Then why do you have your computer shut?"

"I finished reading," lied Aria.

"So you're an expert on Mr. Fitz?" Ms. Lotze asked.

"As much as you can be."

"Then answer my question," the teacher pushed, "How old is he?"

"25."

"Where does he live?"

"Rosewood."

"Who is his mother?"

"Dianne Fitz-Gerald," Aria answered. She shivered at the mention of the name.

"Does he have any siblings?" Ms. Lotze asked.

"Yes, one brother. His name is Wesley."

Ms. Lotze nodded. "Very good," she stated. "Did you write your question to the author yet?"

Aria shook her head.

"Then do that," her teacher replied.

Again, Aria opened her computer. She re-opened Ezra's site and found the question-answer button. Her fingers raced among her keyboard, but no words came out. She didn't know what to write. But after a few minutes, she came up with something short and brief:

_I'm missing you, Ezra. I love you so much. –B26_

She clicked send and closed her computer. Lizzy stood outside the classroom waiting for her. As soon as she saw Lizzy, Aria regretted making that promise to herself. Tonight, Lizzy would know the truth about Ezra. Tonight, she would find out. But, she didn't know how to address the delicate situation without tearing her friendship with Lizzy.


	10. Chapter 10

That night, Aria was ready. She was going to end the lying once and for all. However, Lizzy didn't come to her dorm early that night. In fact, it was only after midnight that she entered her room. Of course, Aria hadn't gone to bed. She was determined to not rest until she had spoken the truth of Ezra to Lizzy. As soon as Lizzy entered the room, Aria breathed a sigh of relief.

"Where have you been?" Aria asked her friend.

Lizzy lifted her shoulders. "Oh, you know. I've just been around." This part of Lizzy really reminded Aria of Alison. Lizzy seemed to know everybody, and everybody knew and loved her.

Aria nodded. "I need to talk to you about something," she whispered.

"Can this wait to morning?" Lizzy asked after she got her PJ's on. "I'm kinda tired."

"It's really important," Aria pushed. "I need to tell you now."

"Okay then," Lizzy whispered and sat on her bed. "Spill."

Aria inhaled a deep breath. "I haven't been honest about everything I've told you."

"I know," Lizzy chuckled.

"You do?"

"Oh course. I mean, I've seen you all over TV. I know you were the girl whose best friend was murdered. And I know you and your friends were blamed for killing her."

Aria looked around, "Ya. This isn't about that."

"There are more secrets?" Lizzy excitedly squealed.

Aria nodded. "It's about the author that's coming."

"Ezra Fitz?" Lizzy asked.

Aria nodded. "I told you that he was my teacher. And that's true. But the rest I told you was a lie."

Lizzy's face dropped. "Is the lie juicy?"

She nodded. "Very." She took a deep breath before continuing. "You see, I met Ezra the day before school started in a bar. We made out in the bathroom, and the next day he was my English teacher. We continued our relationship, hidden of course, until he finally found a job outside my school. I love him. A year ago, just before I came here, we decided to tell my parents about our relationship. They didn't take it well. That's actually the reason I'm at this school. My parents shipped me away."

Lizzy's eyes widened. She tried to take in what she had just been told. "So, your love is kind of like the romance in the book?"

"Actually, it's exactly the same," Aria whispered. "He remembered every conversation we ever had. Ever kiss we ever shared. This book has it all. It's kind of creepy that he remembers everything."

Lizzy squealed in excitement. "And now he's coming to our school!" she yelled. "You can see your prince again!"

Aria smiled. "I'll see him in just two days."

"Oh Aria," Lizzy cried as she went to hug her friend, "that's great!"

Aria received the embrace but let go of it after a few seconds.

"He wrote a book about me," Aria whispered. Her face was covered in tears. "That's the most romantic thing anyone has ever done."

"Is this you on the cover?" Lizzy asked as she lifted Aria's copy of The One That Got Away.

Aria nodded and beamed. "Our first picture together."

Lizzy grinned. She was happy for her friend.

"Ms. Lotze likes him," Lizzy teased.

"It's kind of weird, actually."

"Totally," Lizzy agreed. "Anyways, Aria, I have to crash."

"Are you mad at me?" Aria asked. "For lying?"

"No," Lizzy smirked. "We all have our secrets. I'm just happy you told me."

"Thanks," Aria called as she climbed into bed.

"Sleep girl," Lizzy replied, joking. "Get your beauty sleep now. In two days, you have a man to catch."


	11. Chapter 11

The next day, English class was chaotic. Everybody rushed around, preparing for the presence of the visiting author. Ms. Lotze made sure that the class was clean and organized. She printed out some of the students' best work to show Mr. Fitz.

The first half of class, everyone prepared the classroom, making it all pretty. The second half of class took place in the auditorium, where the teachers were explaining what would happen.

"Mr. Fitz is visiting all the way from Rosewood," Ms. Lotze explained on stage. She spoke into a microphone so people who were just entering the auditorium could hear her. "We are all privileged to be able to have him visit," Ms. Lotze continued.

Lizzy slightly pushed Aria's arm, pleased. "I think you're the luckiest of us all," she whispered into Aria's ear.

Aria put her index finger to her lips. "Shh," she hissed. "I don't want anyone to know."

Lizzy giggled, but ignored Aria's comment. "What are you going to do when you see him?" she asked.

Aria shrugged. "I'm not sure."

"As soon as he walks up onto stage, you should kiss him," Lizzy suggested.

Aria gleamed. "Maybe," she whispered back.

Suddenly, a huge sneeze escaped from Aria's nose.

"Bless you, Cinderella," Lizzy chuckled.

Aria rolled her eyes. But as soon as she did, another sneeze escaped from her, and another, and another, and another. Soon, Aria's eyes were puffy red, and her head burned with a fever.

Ms. Lotze noticed the sick girl and called to her from stage, "Aria, honey, are you okay?"

Aria nodded, but sneezed again.

Ms. Lotze turned to Lizzy.

"Lizzy," she started, "could you please take Aria to the nurse? I think she's caught the bug that's been going around."

Lizzy shrugged, but guided Aria out of the auditorium. As soon as they exited the big black doors, Aria turned to Lizzy.

"Please, don't take me to the nurse," Aria begged. "She'll put me in bed for a couple days, and I won't see Ezra tomorrow."

Lizzy ignored her comment and continued dragging Aria down the hall.

"Please, Lizzy," Aria whispered.

Lizzy turned around. "Look Aria, I don't want to turn you into the nurse, trust me, I want to see what's going to happen tomorrow. But if you are sick, it's best if you go to the nurse now. You can be better by tomorrow. If we ditch, you'll be too sick to go to the auditorium tomorrow, and you won't see your Prince Charming."

Aria listened, and then spoke after a second. "You're right," she admitted, then trailed her friend down the hall to the nurses' office. "But," Aria continued, "I will see Ezra tomorrow. I don't care what the nurse says."

Lizzy nodded, and the corners of her cheeks rose. "Deal," she laughed.

**. . .**

The nurse sat quietly near her desk. Nobody ever came to the nurses' office, so cobwebs were beginning to form on the nurses' equipment.

"Hello," Lizzy called out as she opened the room's door.

The nurse jumped back with a fright. "Ah, you scared me," she admitted. "What can I do for you happy young girls?"

"She's sick," Lizzy explained and gestured towards Aria. Aria shot her a look. "It's nothing serious."

"Let me take a look," the old nurse suggested as she pondered near Aria. "Come, love," the nurse continued as she led Aria to the patients' bed.

The nurse checked Aria's ears, throat, eyes, and temperature. After a few minutes, she came up with an answer.

"I'm afraid you're diagnosed with the flu," she explained to Aria. "Two days in bed should make you feel better."

"What?" Aria shrieked. "I can't be in bed for two day!"

"Why's that?" the nurse asked.

"The visiting author," Lizzy explained. "Aria's very excited to meet him."

The nurse nodded. "I've heard Ms. Lotze is falling for him pretty bad."

Aria smirked, and beside her, Lizzy did too.

"Is there any way I'll be better by tomorrow?" Aria asked.

The nurse sighed. "Maybe. There may be a small chance, but not a very big one. If you're feeling better, swing by so I can check on you."

Aria nodded. "Thank you."

"Oh, and take these," the nurse remembered. She put a couple of pills in Aria's hand. "They'll cure you faster."

"Thanks," Aria and Lizzy replied.

Then, the girls turned towards the door. Lizzy led Aria back to their room, where Aria took the two pills. Next, Aria climbed into bed and immediately fell asleep.

Both Aria and Lizzy hoped that Aria would be cured by morning. But she wasn't. Little did the girls know that Aria would be sick in bed for the next two, maybe even three, days.


	12. Chapter 12

The following day, Aria Montgomery woke up with the ring of a bell. Her every jerked opened, and she quickly remembered what day it was. It was the day Ezra would come.

Just thinking that Ezra was in the same building as her, Aria's heart sped up. She missed Ezra so much.

Suddenly, Aria realized that Lizzy wasn't in the dorm room with her. She sat up in bed, and looked at her clock. It read 3:00 pm.

_Shit, _Aria thought. She had missed the school's assembly with Ezra.

At first, Aria tried to jump out of bed. However, her body wouldn't let her get up. Her head boiled with fever, and her muscles refused to move. So, Aria laid back down and though about Ezra, the love of her life.

In a few minutes, Lizzy had entered the room.

"Hey," Lizzy greeted her friend.

Aria opened her eyes and whispered, "Hi."

"So, you missed the presentation," Lizzy explained.

Aria nodded. "I know."

"I tried to wake you up in the morning, but you wouldn't," Lizzy sighed. "I tried everything I could to be able to get you to the assembly, but I failed. The teachers came and saw you were sick. They told me to check on you every hour."

"Thank you," Aria sighed.

Lizzy made her way towords Aria. She sat on the corner of her bed.

"You were right. Your boyfriend is h-o-t," Lizzy gushed.

Aria gleamed. "I know."

"He told us about you," Lizzy explained. "I was scared that people would realize he was talking about you."

"What did he say?"

Lizzy inhaled a deep breath. "Well, he mostly said that the person he based the book on is a real person. That he didn't know where she was. I wanted to tell him that she was in the dorm room, but I couldn't bring myself to do it."

Aria snickered.

"Then he said that you were beautiful, artistic, and smart, you had a great taste in music, and you had traveled. He said that you were so strong because even though you had been though a lot of shit in your life, you still stood tall," Lizzy continued. "And he said, that, that, if he ever had regret, it was not saying goodbye."

Aria felt tears rolling down her cheeks. Ezra was truly amazing.

"What else happened?" Aria asked.

"Well, Ms. Lotze tried to hit on him. She invited him to coffee, but he said that he was still in a relationship with _Emma._"

Aria giggled. Her boyfriend had rejected her teacher!

"Do you think you are strong enough to get out bed?" Lizzy asked. "He's in the cafeteria with the other teachers. If you are strong enough, we can go meet him."

Aria nodded. She tried to get out of bed, but she couldn't. She tried everything possible to gain strength, but none was coming. After a few goes, she collapsed.

"I guess not," Lizzy sighed.

Aria frowned.

"But you will see him in class," Lizzy recalled. "When he comes to our class to talk about you."

Again, Aria smirked. "That will be interesting," she whispered.

"Yes," Lizzy nodded. "Yes it will."

She got up from Aria's bed and headed to the door. Before she exited, Lizzy turned back to Aria.

"Now, Cinderella," Lizzy explained, "sleep now. Or else you won't meet Mr. Charming."

And with that, she walked off.


	13. Chapter 13

For the following day and a half, Aria Montgomery slept nonstop. Yes, she did occasionally get up to go to the bathroom, or to eat, but 90% of the time she was in bed. Every two hours, Aria would wake up to Lizzy entering their shared dorm. At that time, Lizzy would share with Aria what was happening in the school. She would mostly tell Aria about Ezra Fitz.

Ezra Fitz was the love of Aria's life. She loved him more than anything, and it killed her that she couldn't be with him at that exact moment. As she got stronger, Aria tried to convince Lizzy to let her get out of bed, but the caring side of Lizzy, that reminded Aria of Emily, told her to stay in bed. Lizzy explained that if she got even stronger, she could go to see Ezra. Lizzy had asked Aria if she wanted her to call Ezra to their dorm, but Aria refused. She wanted to see Ezra when she was lively and strong, not when she was sick and weak.

However, Aria wasn't healing very quickly. In fact, it was killing her that the love of her life was in the same building as her, yet she couldn't see him. Aria was never sick, and she hated herself for making herself be sick when Ezra came to her school.

Luckily, after a day and a half of being in bed, Aria Montgomery healed. She no longer was sick. Aria woke up at midnight. Her eyes jerked open and she exhaled a tight breath. Aria's eye's wandered around the dark room, and she noticed that her clock read 12:30. Aria sighed. Ezra would be sleeping, and she would have to wait to see him.

"Lizzy," Aria whispered to her friend who slept a bed over.

Lizzy stirred.

"Lizzy!" Aria forcefully repeated.

This time Lizzy awoke. She sat up and turned to Aria.

"You're awake," Lizzy pointed out.

Aria nodded, but then realized that Lizzy couldn't see her. "Ya," she replied. "And I think I'm better now."

"Can you get up?" Lizzy asked.

Aria shrugged. Then carefully and slowly managed to get out of bed.

"Yes," she gushed. "And my fever is gone," Aria added as she noticed the drop of sweat on her forehead.

Lizzy gleamed. "That's amazing, Aria! Now, you can see your prince."

Aria nodded. "Thank you," she thanked her friend, "thank you for everything you've done for me."

"Oh, it nothing," Lizzy replied. "But you're welcome. Anyways, Aria, what time is it?"

"12:30," Aria explained.

Lizzy exhaled a rusty breath. "No wonder I'm so tired." She lay back down. "Look, Aria, tomorrow morning you will see Prince Charming, just you wait. But, it's too early now, so get some rest."

"Lizzy," Aria complained like a two year old," I've been in bed for two days. I can't sleep anymore."

"Try," Lizzy mumbled before a silent snore escaped from her lips.

Aria sighed. She tried everything she could to sleep, but sleep would not come. So, Aria thought of how her wonderful boyfriend, and how much she missed him.

After a couple hours, Aria checked her clock. 4:15. Aria lay back down and closed her eyes for the hundredth time. This time, sleep came.

**. . .**

Two hours later, Aria woke up. A burst of sunlight entered her eyes, and she winced. However, Aria felt refreshed. She yawned, and then jumped out of bed. As her eyes adjusted to the bright light, Aria noticed that Lizzy was not in bed. In fact, Lizzy was nowhere to be seen. Aria wondered if Lizzy had gone to classes without her. However, she had told Lizzy that she was better; there was no way that she would have ditched her.

So, Aria looked over at her clock. It read 6:20 in bright red colors. She was late to breakfast. That's where Lizzy was! She was eating breakfast. So, Aria turned to her closet and tried to pick out the perfect outfit. However, she couldn't find one.

In a couple of minutes, Lizzy returned. She turned to Aria.

"I tried to wake you up, but you wouldn't budge, so I got you breakfast," Lizzy explained as she handed Aria a slice of toast. "It was the only thing that I could bring up here without getting caught."

"Thank you," Aria stated as she nibbled on the piece of toast. She needed all of the strength she could get.

"So, what are you going to wear today?" Lizzy asked as she dressed in the newest designer dress.

Aria shrugged. "I can't decide."

Lizzy walked to Aria's closet and picked out a pair of new skinny jeans. Then, she took out a bright red polka dotted shirt. "Wear these," she explained.

Aria took the clothes and put them on. Then, she put a vintage owl necklace on her neck.

"You look nice," Lizzy remarked as Aria finished putting on her clothes.

"Thanks," Aria gushed. She gleamed.

"Should we go?" Lizzy asked. "I mean, we are late."

Aria turned to her clock. It was 6:40. They were ten minutes late for English class.

"Shit," Aria mumbled. "Let's go!"

Together, the girls rushed down the school hallway. The halls were bare since everybody was in class. Aria, who was extremely excited of seeing the love of her life, rushed ahead of Lizzy, who struggled to run in her 5 inch designer heels.

Within a few minutes, Aria had reached her English classroom. Before she entered her classroom, Aria froze by the doorway. She listened for a few seconds. Inside the classroom, she could hear Ezra talking to the class.

"What did you say when you found out Emma was your student?" one kid asked Ezra.

"Uh," Ezra mumbled as he took a breath. "Holy cra-"

Aria chose that moment to rush into the English room. Lizzy snuck in behind her. Aria jumped into the room, and Ezra turned to her. His eyes budged out of his sockets, and his lips curled up. He looked like he was unsure if Aria was real or not.

"Ezra," Aria muttered as she rushed to Ezra.

He opened his arms out, and Aria jumped into his hug. Within a blink of the eye, Aria and Ezra's mouths were pressed together. Their kiss was passionate; as if they were scared they would never see each other again.

Around them, the class stared in awe. Some were confused, while others were surprised. Only Lizzy sat in her seat with a smirk printed on her face.

When the kiss ended, Aria refused to let of Ezra. "They took me away," she explained as she burst into tears. "In the middle of the night, my parents decided to just ship me off to this school." She hugged Ezra even tighter. "This place doesn't have any aces to communication with the outside world." Aria turned up and looked into Ezra's eyes. "I never got to say goodbye." She tightened the hug, and Ezra kissed the top of her head.

"I missed you so much," he whispered into her ears. "I went to your house, but your dad told me you were gone. I wrote a book about you, and when your dad found out he tried to get me arrested."

Aria kissed him.

"I ran away, to California. To my favorite city, the one you were looking for college in. I waited many days for the police to show up, but they never did," Ezra continued. He stared down at Ezra. "My book, the one about you, it became a best-seller. Many schools asked me to go talk about the book, so I did, hoping to find you."

He pressed his lips to Aria's.

"Finally, my hope faded away, and this school asked me to come. So I did. I never thought you would be here. I didn't see you a few days ago," Ezra whispered.

"I was sick," Aria explained. "Too sick to move."

Again, the couple kissed. The class took in everything the two said, and came to a conclusion that The One That Got Away was really about Aria. They were all so surprised. Ms. Lotze stood embarrassed. She had tried to hit on her student's boyfriend! On the other hand, Lizzy sat with a sigh of proudness on her face.

As Aria and Ezra kissed, they shared a telepathic agreement. They would re-write Ezra's story's ending. They would give it a happy ending. They would live together forever. They would have a happily ever after. They would love each other to the end of days. And nobody could stop them.


	14. Thank You

This isn't a chapter or anything... I just wanted to say thank you for everybody who read my story! I really appreciate all of the kind and constructive reviews!

Anyways, TheHeartOfWriting suggested that I write a sequel to my story. She said that it should be about Aria's parents when they find out about Ezra coming to school!

I already wrote the first chapter. If you wanna read it, its here: s/9354459/1/The-Fight-for-Love

**Thanks Again!**


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